Septembre en fête

"Dancing..."takes on an old issue. Is network television a machine with no conscience which prostitutes artistic talent while pandering to the audience under the pretense of offering quality entertainment for the sole purpose of seducing them into buying products while appeasing advertisers? Well, of course it is. The matter, as dealt with by "Dancing...", focuses on an African-American sitcom and staff, mixes some light romance and a spritz of comedy with it's core drama to a generally entertaining result in spite of some peculiar camera effects, some black and white explanations which come out of no where, and a stuttering flow between the story and some miscellaneous subplots. Enjoyable but nothing new.

Has anyone else noticed the immense similarity of this films content and that of Bamboozled? A black producer is given the privilege to start their own sit-com but ends up playing to racial stereotypes? Both Films were released round about the same time so its unclear which drew influence from which though I think its more likely Spike Lee would be the one being Plagiarised here. Other than that I thought it was a great movie. I loved the character of James (or Semaj as he prefers to be called as "its just James backwards but its got more flavour"). The lead (who doesn't give a damn about Semaj's "name or flavour) was also very sympathetic.

This is a great movie that provides great insight on why Hollywood isn't quick to heed to the complaints by minority advocacy groups. Though the relatively low budget of this movie is sometimes obvious, the acting is definitely exceptional. Plus, the film does more than any box office hit does - it makes you think.

With so many films that "dumb down" for the audience, it is refreshing to see a film with some level of intelligence. Isaiah Washington gives one of his better performances as an executive of an upstart television network (think WB or UPN). Nicole Ari Parker once again demonstrates her range as an actor in her role as a struggling sitcom writer/producer. If you need just one reason to see the film, see it for her performance. Another would be for those interested in learning more about what goes on "behind-the-scenes" of network television. Not a perfect film, but definitely worth a look.

In today's sea of brainless dramas and embarrassing comedies, this movie stands out as a refreshingly intelligent alternative. Touching performances and an intriguing subject matter make for a fine film that Mr. Bythewood should be extremely proud to proclaim his first. I look forward to his future work.